COLUMBUS — Only 30 years old, Kevin Stafford, who currently serves as the city engineer for Columbus, already has 10 years of experience as an engineer with Neel-Schaffer, Inc.
After graduating as the 1997 valedictorian from Columbus High School, Stafford, who joined Neel-Schaffer while in college, earned a bachelor”s degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University, before transferring to Neel-Schaffer”s Southaven office.
After meeting his wife, Shannon, in Memphis, Tenn., Stafford, a Columbus native, moved back to his hometown.
What drew you to your profession?
I”ve known what I wanted to do since I was in 10th grade. (It was) one of those light-bulb moments. I”ve always loved art design, building things, being outdoors, and school always came naturally to me. So those combined characteristics lend themselves to civil engineering.
Has working as an engineer been what you expected?
Well, sure, it”s been everything I”ve expected and then some. If school doesn”t weed you out of the profession, you should, for the most part, know what to expect. The profession is rewarding enough. But it”s important to find a place you fit in. There are several different looks in civil engineering and I was just lucky I got it right on the first try.
What do you find most challenging about your job?
Engineering is a very ”black and white” profession, but most people see gray. It”s always a challenge to educate or be educated on something you don”t care to learn. So my job, as a consultant, is to close that education and communication gap between engineering and the rest of the world to keep everyone as happy as possible, all while reaching a solution that works and everyone can live with.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
Knowing that what I do on a daily basis is helping the people and communities that give so much to me. There”s nothing more rewarding in a profession than to get paid to make a difference in the lives of people you live with.
What are some misconceptions about engineers you”d like to address?
Not all engineers like pocket protectors, nor do we sleep with our calculators. And, on occasion, we might admit — or even be accused of — having a little fun.
What is most challenging about being the city engineer?
The city engineering job is a day-to-day, face-to-face job, which requires you to think on your feet a lot of the time. Most issues deal with decaying infrastructure, from either bad past decisions, useful-life expiration, funding deficiencies, code violations, poor construction, and/or unapproved construction. With this in mind, you won”t always be able to afford to fix a situation to the degree required, so you have to compromise to the best solution possible, within the ethics of engineering, to correct the situation. Therefore, you”re never going to make everyone happy with what you do. But regardless of the situation, I always try to educate people on the methods to our madness. While that does not always solve the argument, at least we are then arguing about the same thing and can usually walk away agreeing the situation is better than before.
What do you find most rewarding about serving the city?
The obvious is getting to see plans come to fruition that help the community. But the not-so-obvious is that civil engineering touches every person in this city, in some shape, form or fashion. For that reason, I have and will have some great opportunities to meet people that come from all walks of life and hearing their story can help give you a lot of perspective.
What do you envision for the future of Columbus, both from an engineer”s standpoint and from a resident”s viewpoint?
From a civil engineering standpoint, there”s a great need for planning, physically and fiscally, for the rehabilitation of decaying infrastructure, (like) drainage, roads, water and sewer. It”s not as fun as new projects to talk about, but it”s absolutely necessary. Now, I”m not saying that there”s not potential for some progressive projects in the city, in the future. But a good practice is to take care of what you have and then worry about where you go next.
As a resident, I”d like to see some planning for the county and city, a master plan or road map of where we want to go. There are 1,000 great ideas out there, but until we decide what we are going to do with it, they remain just that — ideas. A master plan with public, political and professional input would go a long way to telling our story, past and future. Some of this is happening, but it”s in our own separate vacuum.
What would you like to see for the city in the future?
As a resident, I”d love to see cleanup, development infill and people returning to live in the city. That”ll take the demolition of some cultural dividing walls, but it”ll happen with time.
As an engineer, (I think) the city should consider upgrading their development standards, ordinances and code violation enforcement and penalties. A lot of towns have already taken this step and, while they don”t get you in shape overnight, with time you”ll realize that this old town ain”t so bad after all.
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